Tea producers in Bangladesh demand subsidized wheat for workers

The Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA), the apex trade body of tea producers, requested the government to allocate 1,800 toNs of wheat at a subsidized rate for tea industry workers in the next Budget FY24. The BTA recently submitted a written appeal to the Food Ministry, urging the authorities to take necessary steps to allocate the aforementioned amount in the upcoming national budget, sources said. In the current FY23, the government allocated 1,800 tons of wheat at a rate of Tk19 per kg for the tea sector. BTA Chairman M Shah Alam mentioned in the letter that tea producers distribute wheat to their workers at Tk2 per kg and provide a subsidy of Tk20.50. He wrote that the global demand for tea is lower than anticipated, and various production costs such as labour wages, production materials, electricity, gas, and fertilizer prices have significantly increased. Considering these challenges, the chairman expressed concerns about bearing the higher rate of subsidy. Consequently, he ...